Where Does Culture Rank in Your Strategic Plan? | Excellerate

It didn?t happen overnight, but culture has cracked the line-up with progressive leaders, and is now revered in the same league as vision, mission, strategy, and core values when it comes to strategic planning. This transition, and the growing acceptance of culture as an integral strategic component, comes from the realization that it?s a living and breathing reflection of the way a company operates on a day-to-day basis. Culture is often called the ?heartbeat of a business? since it represents the philosophy of how all stakeholders ? current and potential employees, customers, suppliers and partners ? see and experience the company in action. It?s visible every day, at every level, in every transaction, which means that nurturing the desired culture is a companywide responsibility.

At the same time, and perhaps because of its intangible nature, culture is still a widely misunderstood driver that directly impacts organizational performance. Only in recent years has it gained attention and respect for the role it plays in a stream of human resource related challenges such as morale, turnover, absenteeism, reduced productivity and job dissatisfaction. If culture is effectively and consistently managed, it will absolutely contribute to the improved health of the organization.

This can be an especially sensitive topic for owners and executives because culture typically reflects their own leadership style, behaviours and actions. It impacts every aspect and person associated with the business, but not always in constructive ways. That?s because culture can exist whether it has been actively modelled and developed, or whether it has been created by default over time. The risk of allowing it to grow unmanaged, is that it will sometimes manifest in unexpected or undesirable ways that can adversely affect business performance. That?s why understanding the tools, decisions and steps required to actively shape the positive and consistent culture desired for the organization, can have measurable results.

Aligning the leadership team with the overall goals is a vital, early step toward defining, clarifying and supporting culture expectations. Actually modelling the practices that reinforce the culture, through performance and rewards management, can be the best way to see it ripple into the everyday work environment and guide everyone?s behaviour.

If leaders acknowledge that culture is fluid, that it will continue to evolve through each stage of growth; and if they recognize that it?s influenced by the decisions and activities of all stakeholders, the ongoing commitment to maintaining a vibrant and positive culture will create a tangible competitive advantage. That advantage will in turn, generate positive customer experiences that help propel the company toward reaching its business potential.

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LEADERS of Successful Growing Organizations: Check the Excellerate Feed Room regularly for interesting, new business articles posted by our Practice Partners. Excellerate helps companies identify growth-limiting issues with laser-like focus.?Contact us today.

Source: http://www.excellerate4success.com/2012/10/30/where-does-culture-rank-in-your-strategic-plan/

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